How to Set Up an IVR for Your Business in Bangladesh (With Bangla Script Examples)

“Press 1 for sales, 2 for support.” That is an IVR, interactive voice response, and it is the single feature that makes a small business sound like an established one. It also stops the receptionist being a bottleneck: callers route themselves. With a Cloud PBX it is included; the work is in designing it well. Here is how, with scripts you can copy.

Step 1: Decide what callers actually want

Before writing a menu, list the five most common reasons people call you. For an e-commerce business it might be: order status, place an order, return or complaint, payment, “talk to someone”. For a diagnostic centre: book a test, collect a report, billing, emergency.

Your IVR menu is those reasons, grouped into no more than four options. Callers won’t remember a fifth. If you truly have more, use a second level (“press 2 for support, then 1 for delivery, 2 for returns”), but most SMEs don’t need it.

Step 2: Map each option to an extension

Each menu option rings one extension or a group of extensions. Write it down:

Always include 0 for a person. The fastest way to make a caller hang up is a menu with no exit. Also decide what happens if nobody answers an option in 20 seconds: ring reception, or go to a voicemail-style “we’ll call you back” message.

Step 3: Write the greeting

The greeting is three parts: identify, reassure, menu. Keep the whole thing under 20 seconds before the first option.

Bangla (recommended for consumer businesses)

আসসালামু আলাইকুম। [আপনার প্রতিষ্ঠানের নাম]-এ কল করার জন্য ধন্যবাদ। সেলসের জন্য ১ চাপুন। অর্ডার ও ডেলিভারির খোঁজ নিতে ২ চাপুন। রিটার্ন বা অভিযোগের জন্য ৩ চাপুন। অন্য যেকোনো বিষয়ে কথা বলতে ০ চাপুন।

English

Thank you for calling [Business Name]. For sales, press 1. For order status and delivery, press 2. For returns or complaints, press 3. To speak to reception, press 0.

Bilingual (common in Dhaka B2B)

[Business Name]-এ কল করার জন্য ধন্যবাদ। Thank you for calling [Business Name]. সেলসের জন্য ১ চাপুন, for sales, press 1. সাপোর্টের জন্য ২ চাপুন, for support, press 2.

Bilingual works, but only for two or three options; beyond that it gets long. If most callers are consumers, Bangla only.

Step 4: Write the after-hours greeting

Nothing says “small” like a hotline that rings out at 9 PM. Record a separate message for outside business hours and holidays:

আসসালামু আলাইকুম। [প্রতিষ্ঠানের নাম]-এ কল করার জন্য ধন্যবাদ। আমাদের অফিস সময় শনিবার থেকে বৃহস্পতিবার, সকাল ৯টা থেকে সন্ধ্যা ৬টা। অনুগ্রহ করে অফিস সময়ে আবার কল করুন, অথবা আমাদের WhatsApp নম্বর 01891-116631-এ মেসেজ করুন। ধন্যবাদ।

Pointing late callers to WhatsApp turns a missed call into a lead you can answer in the morning.

Also prepare an Eid / holiday version a week ahead, with the reopening date.

Step 5: Record it

Two options:

• Voice artist (৳150 per recording). Our caller tune service records your script with a professional voice in Bangla or English and we set it live. For a customer-facing hotline this is the right choice; it is the first thing every caller hears.
• Record it yourself. Fine for internal lines or a quick start. Use a quiet room, hold the phone 20 cm away, speak slower than feels natural, and leave a half-second pause between options.

Avoid background music under the menu, it makes the options harder to hear on a mobile network.

Step 6: Test it like a customer

Call the number from a mobile, not from inside the office network, and check:

• Does the greeting start immediately, or is there silence first?
• Can you hear each option clearly on speakerphone in a noisy place?
• Does each key ring the right extension?
• What happens if you press nothing? (It should repeat once, then go to reception.)
• What happens if you press 7? (It should say “invalid option” and repeat, not hang up.)
• Call after hours: does the right message play?

Fix anything odd before publishing the number.

Step 7: Publish and watch the reports

Put the number on your website, Facebook, packaging, and invoices. After the first week, open call history in the portal and look at which options callers choose and how long they wait. If 70% press 2 for delivery, make delivery option 1. If option 3 rings out often, add a second extension to it.

Mistakes that make callers hang up

• Too many options. Four, maximum. Group the rest.
• Company history before the menu. “Established in 2009, we are a leading…”, nobody called for that.
• No way to reach a human. Always 0.
• Long hold music with no updates. If an extension is busy, say so and offer a callback.
• Different voices for different prompts. Record everything in one session, one voice.
• Not updating the holiday message. A “we’re closed for Eid” message playing in the second week after Eid loses customers.

FAQ

What is an IVR?

IVR (interactive voice response) is the recorded menu callers hear when they dial a business, “press 1 for sales”, which routes them to the right person or department automatically.

Does IVR cost extra with IPCallBD?

No. The IVR menu is included in every Cloud PBX plan. A professional voice artist recording of your script is ৳150 through the caller tune service.

Can the IVR be in Bangla?

Yes. Record the greeting in Bangla, English, or both. Most consumer businesses in Bangladesh use Bangla.

Can I change the IVR later?

Yes. Send the new script and we re-record and swap it, usually the same day. The menu structure can be changed in the portal.

Can different options ring different offices?

Yes. Option 1 can ring extensions in Dhaka and option 2 extensions in Chattogram; all on one number.

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